Movement detection systems usable by a human body have a variety of potential uses. Related art systems often have sensors in located in equipment used by an operator, in order to detect changes caused by the movement of the equipment in order to transmit signals from the sensors to a control system, for example, a virtual reality environment. These related art virtual reality environments can be immersive environments, frequently associated with a three-dimensional environment created by a computer, and can be manipulated through helmets, gloves or other devices that capture the position and rotation of different parts from the human body. However, in these related art systems, these equipment and sensors are restricted to only a single part of the user's body, requiring a separate piece of equipment and sensors be used to track the positioning of each of the parts of the body. Additionally, the majority of the related art devices do not have means to provide feedback to the equipment from the virtual reality environment, for the purpose of simulating physical contacts with simulated objects.
One related art approach to provide more direct interaction with a user's anatomical forms is equipment called “intelligent” or “interactive” “clothes,” which may be used to measuring biomedical parameters of a wearer. These “clothes” may function as a unit to record various biometric measurements such as heart rate, pulse or number of steps taken, and may having applications in the medical field for measuring vital signs such as temperature and blood pressure and in the sports field for measuring calorie expenditure.
These related art intelligent clothes may display connectivity with other electronic devices like cell phones using an apps or other computer interface. These related art clothes use sensors only for measuring the estimated manner of steps and movements carried out by the user. An example of this type of device is described, for example, in patent CN 203789183 to Zhejiang University of Science and Technology, which describes intelligent outdoor clothes for monitoring blood pressure and heart rate. This related art clothing includes an outer layer of cloth and an inner layer of cloth, and includes an intelligent electronic automatic blood pressure monitor, with wireless Bluetooth connectivity, a waist heart rate monitor with Bluetooth connectivity, and a rechargeable power source to provide power for the blood pressure monitor and waist heart rate monitor. The blood pressure monitor and waist heart rate monitor may be connected with a smart phone or other computer device through a Bluetooth connection. Nevertheless, this related art device does not allow tracking the movements of the operator with values picked up by the sensors and also does not allow for active feedback of interactions.
Related art patent CN203662042 describes intelligent articles of clothing for monitoring and alarm that includes an inner pocket sewn on the inside of the body of the garment, and intelligent host equipment arranged in the inner pocket that include a CPU, a GPS locator, an electronic gyroscope, a Bluetooth receiver, a processor for monitoring heart rate in real time. The intelligent clothing also includes a module for sending an emergency text message, including information from the GPS locator, the electronic gyroscope, and the measured heart rate in real time under appropriate circumstances. These related art clothes have functions for intelligent monitoring heart rate and location in real time and transmitting of emergency information based on the measured heart rate and location. However, these related art clothes do not function as a controller of a virtual environment, because they lack means for detecting the relative position of the user's limbs or body parts.
Related art patent application US 2014/142459 A1 relates, generally, to computer programs, movable electronics, wireless communication connections and monitoring systems usable as clothes. More specifically, related art techniques, systems, sensors, circuits, algorithms, and methods for monitoring devices usable as clothes and apparatuses associated with exercising are described. In this related art application, a system of sensors in clothes capable of collecting data on the performance of a user during exercise is described. In the related art system, the data can be analyzed in real time, and feedback can be supplied to the user based on analysis of the obtained data. The analysis can be used to modify the user's behavior and/or an apparatus to which the user is connected during an activity, like exercise, conditioning, therapy, etc. In this related art system, a piece of exercise equipment can be arranged and in communication with the sensor system or another system and can be controlled in real time to adjust the configuration to affect the user during the exercise routine. However, in this related art system, the interaction is limited solely to instructions for changing the intensity of the routine or stopping the routine in case the vital signs of the operator exceed or fall below predetermined threshold values. Additionally, in the related art system active monitoring of the relative position of the user's limps or body parts is not performed, nor is there any to send direct instructions in real time to the attached equipment in order to carry out voluntary control of the equipment in real time.
Other related art clothes use an exercise computer with a connection via cellular communication sewn within sports underclothes. In this way, it is possible to show on a telephone, for example, heart rate signals and other data. Moreover, athletes can send their training data via Internet to their PC, in which they can plan and analyze their exercise program with the aid of software. This type of garment uses inertial movement sensors and biomedical sensors to carry out the measurement or monitoring. However, in these related art clothes the possibility is not contemplated that the sensors be distributed in different parts of the body, nor is there any consideration of providing the sensation of vibration during the user's interaction with the garment. That is, the clothes of the related art do not have means to receive a stimulus coming from a controllable environment that simulates direct interaction with virtual objects, providing kinesthetic sensations to the user, such as the insertion of haptic sensors, and much less allow the detection in real time of the relative position of each of the extremities to determine a spatial relationship with respect to an external system of virtualized references, nor allow direct control of the interface by means of conscious actions of the user. Due to what is mentioned above, the clothes described in the documents of the related art could not be used as an effective control system for a controllable graphical environment, like that which is found in video game systems.